Zsófia Zentai works with disadvantaged young people in Hungary.
When did you trust Christ?
I was raised in a Christian home. My brother had died of cancer at the age of 11, and that summer, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour through our church's youth camp. I was thinking: if my brother could trust his life to Jesus even in these hard times, why couldn't I? At that time, I didn't see that, but I know that just loving God and knowing about His existence is not enough; I needed to give him my whole life, and I needed forgiveness of my sins. After I surrendered my life to Jesus, I was quickly baptised, and since then, I have been serving the Lord with all I have.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
After my baptism, I served with many Christian organisations and missions, which improved my character and my devotion to God. I served with World of Life Hungary, where I learned obedience and the importance of quiet time with the Lord. Since then, I have been serving in my local church's youth group for many years, and I have a mentor there who helps me. I also served three years with Josiah Venture in Hungary, and I learned a lot about leadership, discipleship, and youth work. In my personal faith, I grew a lot with God, with the support of a great community. Right now, God has called me to serve part-time with Youth For Christ Hungary and to depend more on Him in my finances and in my life.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I hope I can see other leadership types I can learn from and be inspired by. I would like to learn more about the structure of youth ministry, because I think it's a really diverse and variable ministry that's changing rapidly with each generation. I would also like some guidance on how to make true what God put on my heart and how to navigate these logistically and spiritually.
What is your ministry?
Currently, I am involved in Youth For Christ Hungary's children's home ministries, where I work with disadvantaged young people, and also lead training for our programs and organise camps. I have been serving in my local church's youth group, mainly in program coordinating and spiritual care. I would like to expand my knowledge in reaching young women to support them through our new Super Woman program to help them navigate life as women.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
With Josiah Venture, I helped with camp organisation for three years and led trainings for other youth leaders and workers. For two years, I have been leading one of our evangelistic church camps for youth.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
My personal calling is that every young person needs a place or community they can call their own, a safe place where they can express themselves, be inspired to get to know others and Jesus, and grow in their personality. I witnessed the power of God's love at work, moving and changing young people's hearts, and I am determined to see it more and to make a way for His spirit. I still feel a wall inside me from fully fulfilling what God called me to do, but I want to know more about him and level up my skills, so that when it's time, I will be ready for what he has prepared for me. I would like to join a community centre in our region, where I could provide youth programs for non-believers and, through those, gently introduce Jesus to them.
